The Dark Angels: Tied Together

As part of the rock sensation, The Dark Angels, Josh and Robin Strider have the fans calling them “The Twins”.

Although they’re not blood brothers, growing up together has given them a special bond that was challenged when they were thrown out of their home. Surviving and being saved from life on the streets makes Robin cling to brotherly ties that don’t exist.

One night with friends opens the doors to what Josh has always wanted – Robin’s body and heart. If Josh learns to master Robin’s inner submissive, he’ll be able to give Robin the security he craves. But can rumors from Josh’s father unravel the ties between Robin and Josh or will a collar and love be enough to tie them together?

MLR PRess AuthoRs

Featuring a roll call of some of the best writers of gay erotica and mysteries today!

Derek Adams

Z. Allora

Maura Anderson

Simone Anderson

Victor J. Banis

Laura Baumbach

Ally Blue

J.P. Bowie

Barry Brennessel

Nowell Briscoe

Jade Buchanan

James Buchanan

TA Chase

Charlie Cochrane

Karenna Colcroft

William Cooper

Jamie Craig

Ethan Day

Diana DeRicci

Vivien Dean

Taylor V. Donovan

Theo Fenraven

S.J. Frost

Kimberly Gardner

Michael Gouda

Kaje Harper

Jan Irving

David Juhren

Thomas Kearnes

Kiernan Kelly

K-lee Klein

Geoffrey Knight

Christopher Koehler

Matthew Lang

J.L. Langley

Vincent Lardo

Anna Lee

Elizabeth Lister

Clare London

William Maltese

Z.A. Maxfield

Timothy McGivney

Tere Michaels

AKM Miles

Reiko Morgan

Jet Mykles

William Neale

Cherie Noel

Willa Okati

Brynn Paulin

Neil S. Plakcy

Rick R. Reed

A.M. Riley

AJ Rose

George Seaton

Riley Shane

Jardonn Smith

DH Starr

Richard Stevenson

Liz Strange

Marshall Thornton

Lex Valentine

Haley Walsh

Mia Watts

Missy Welsh

Stevie Woods

Ian Young

Lance Zarimba

Mark Zubro

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The Dark Angels

tied togetheR

Z. ALLoRA

mlr
press

www.mlrpress.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2012 by Z. Allora

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Published by

MLR Press, LLC

3052 Gaines Waterport Rd.

Albion, NY 14411

Visit ManLoveRomance Press, LLC on the Internet:
www.mlrpress.com

Cover Art by Adrien Luc Sanders

Editing by Kris Jacen

Print format ISBN# 978-1-60820-573-8

ebook format ISBN#978-1-60820-574-5

Issued 2012

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.

To all the people who are tied to us without the bonds of blood but whom we cannot imagine what our life would be without them in it.

To Deb: My bff. Your love, support, wisdom and kindness always amazes me. Without your wicked counseling skills I would be lost. Go Sage!

To Jack: Who has made it his job to see that I was happy and safe for the past five years in China. I will be forever grateful my ‘brother’.

To Yali: My mei mei by choice. Thank you for all your help with everything including my asthma. And yes there are gay men in China.

To Mrs. Hill: (okay Anne) My 5th & 6th grade teacher who is still teaching me something new with every email. You are an incredible mentor and I am very lucky to have you in my life.

Though my editor probably wishes I paid more attention to the rules of grammar you tried to teach me…

To Twin: You get all the credit for introducing me to Yaoi!

(Though you need to admit Fei Long is better than Asami…) Scorpios rule!

To Harmony C: I cannot wait to read your first book. I know your words are going to be amazing.

To Gong gong & Popo: My biggest fans who should never read the books I write. Thank you for giving me the greatest gift ever...your amazing son.

To my Editor Goddess, Ralph & JP (my patient line editors) and my fabulous cover artist: You bring my boys to life and I am truly indebted to all of you!

To the love of my life: Whether you use pretty colored rope, your beautiful eyes, your soft words, or your enchanting mind I want to always be tied to you…now and always.

Josh sat on stage with Robin wondering why he had let Megan, The Dark Angels’ manager, talk them into doing this damned interview. Any interview with Wendy “Troublemaker”

Myers usually ended in disaster. It was in front of a live studio audience, to boot.

This was certainly not part of the rock-n-roll dream he cultivated. Hell no! Give him an instrument, Robin’s lyrics, and he could give you a song. But this…this was the bullshit one endured. The price that one paid to have everything you ever wanted. Looking over at the beautiful shy man sitting next to him, he corrected himself,
almost
everything.

Robin was so painfully shy; it hurt Josh physically to watch it.

So Josh knew this freak circus was hell for him. He had his usual case of nerves and then some. Josh found he tried to compensate by doing most of the talking.

He was thankful their time under the magnifying glass was almost up. It was stressful, trying to convey what the fans wanted to see, yet still being true to themselves while presenting a positive vibe for The Dark Angels.

The leggy blonde leaned forward to ask yet another dumb question coming off the live Internet feed. “Pauline from Albany New York asks, are you two really brothers?”

Robin and Josh both answered at the same time. Robin answered with a definitive “Yes” and Josh said “No” with a clarity that seemed to echo off the walls.

Wendy clapped her hands. “Well, boys which is it? Yes or no?”

Robin’s wide eyes looked at Josh’s then fell to the floor in front of him. Josh tried to touch a sneaker to his Robin’s boot but he couldn’t reach. Since Robin had clammed up, Josh decided to try to do some damage control.

“Wendy, we share the same last name and were raised together but we are not related by blood.” Josh tried to smile but he was sure it was much more of a grimace.

She waved her finger between them before she asked, “Oh, so there isn’t any
twincest
?” Clearly, that was a major disappointment for her. She looked back and forth at them when neither responded then leaned forward to ask, “So Josh and Robin
Strider
? How
do
you have the same last name?”

Josh gave the answer he must have repeated a thousand times, “Robin’s mother married my father when Robin was three years old.”

“So you are
brothers
?” she asked excitedly.

“No,” Josh fairly growled at her. He didn’t look at Robin knowing he was dying at the denial. “His name was changed to reflect his mom’s married name but she suddenly passed before any adoption could happen.”

Clearly not ready to let go of the titillating subject, she asked with a perfectly arched brow, “But, oh wait, don’t you share the same birthday?”

He looked at Robin for a second before answering. “Yup. One year apart.” Smiling at Wendy, “Which is why our fans jokingly refer to us as twins.”

Sighing with irritation at having not broken big news on her show, Wendy went on to the next question with a smirk that was creepy nonetheless. “Carra from Virginia Beach asks if you boys were stuck on a desert island what are the three things you would want with you?” Wendy giggled. “Good one, Carra.” She acted impressed as if only a genius could come up with that drunk-atthe-bar question.

Josh looked at Robin who bit his lower lip, which was one of the only outward manifestations of his discomfort. He knew Robby was barely tolerating sitting through this interview. Josh wished he could make it better for Robin, but he tried to take comfort in the fact they were almost done.

Like a shark smelling blood, Wendy circled a bit. “Well, Robin? What three things?” Wendy pushed in her sugary voice that seemed ready to twist their words into a noose at any given moment.

Robin gave a true smile for the first time during the interview, without thinking he said, “Josh.” Then he paused as if he realized what he said and how it could be warped into being misinterpreted.

“Anything else?” Wendy smiled her big toothy grin, before she took her bite. “Or is just your
brother
all you need?” She fairly purred like a cat given a bowl of delicious cream.

Robin’s eyes darted to Josh looking for help. He opened his mouth to say something, but Josh chimed in. “Our laptops and our instruments.” Stupid answers without solar power charging devices, but Wendy wasn’t clever enough to catch that.

Batting her long false caterpillar-like eyelashes, she asked, “What about girls, Josh?” Wendy continually tried to flirt with them then eventually just with Josh. It was mildly disturbing.

Granted she had been a popular model but that was before either of them had even been born.

Realizing she was getting nowhere with Josh, Wendy turned towards her audience for support. “We know all about you! Don’t we audience?” The crowd clapped and laughed. “Your
brother
can’t be enough for
you
,” she stated coyly. The audience laughed loudly on cue. Her shrill voice rang out, “Josh, honey, we heard all the rumors about
you
. I thought your response would be a blonde, brunette, and a red head.”

In the last few months, the tabloids had cast Josh in the role of the band playboy. He didn’t even know half the girls he was supposedly having affairs with, and the other half were simply girls he met at a party for five minutes who’d snapped a picture of them together. But since their lead singer had happily hooked up with their guitar player, Angel Luv was no longer providing entertaining fodder to excite the masses. Josh was thrust into that role.

Josh gave Robin a quick look of apology and sighed.
What
could he say?
“Oh, yeah right. Can’t be on an island without the ladies in bikinis.” He tried to laugh but it came out a bit choked.

He sounded like a freaking pervert! But the audience laughed.

Now Robin in a thong? Yes. But some random chick? Not so much!

Giggling as if she wasn’t a forty-eight year old, Wendy said, “Well, folks you heard it here first. Robin needs his
brother
and his
brother
needs the
ladies
.” She clapped her hands like a demented four-year-old. “I volunteer for the blonde position.”

Josh frowned as he saw Robin’s blue-painted fingernails dig into the arm of the chair; he seemed to be holding on for dear life. His face remained frozen in his public look. Josh knew Robin had perfected that look while they lived with their crazy, abusive alcoholic parental unit.

Wendy tittered as the theme music cued her that the show was at its conclusion. “Well, boys, that’s all the time we have. Thanks so much for joining us.”

Robin was up and heading to the parking lot before he even said good-bye. They had driven separately since they were coming from different locations, but Josh wanted to make sure he was okay. That last question had upset him more than usual.

He bid the staff and crew of the show good-bye then took off after Robin.

“Hey. Hey! Robby.” Josh called out as he caught up with the fast-paced man at his new blue Corvette. His own shiny black ‘vette was parked on the other side of the lot.

When they were little, Robin and Josh had always dreamed about getting matching Corvettes. With their first really big royalty check they had bought each other their dream car. Josh was in charge of their financial planning so he put the rest of the money into a good long-term investment. They didn’t want to be one of those has-been rock stars on the reality TV shows just for the cash.

Josh tried one more time, “Hey!”

Robin turned his head quickly to look at Josh. “What?” he snapped, which was very unlike him. He was more upset than Josh anticipated.

Josh reached out to place his hand on his arm. “You okay?”

Josh hurried along with his words. “I mean, that Wendy, boy, she loves to try to turn things around.”